A known method for removal of sheet ice from roadways and paved streets commonly employs a road grader having a depending blade that is used to push and consequently fracture the sheet ice. Ice breakage usually results in large slabs which are subsequently collected and loaded onto suitable vehicles for transportation to a disposal site. Depending upon ice thickness, the broken slabs can be both heavy and unwieldy. As a result, collection and dispersal of the slabs can be difficult and expensive, requiring large machinery for ice handling and transportation.
Furthermore, the forces required to remove ice in this manner are extreme and would likely require the use of tire chains on the road grader to provide sufficient traction. This means additional time for mounting and demounting the chains which extends the time that the road grader is out of service and further adds to the cost of ice removal under these conditions. Conceivably, unusually large thicknesses of sheet ice may even preclude removal thereof if adequate traction for the road grader is not present.
The breakup and removal of road pavement is similar except that one or more raker teeth carried by the road grader ahead of the blade are employed to uplift and fracture the pavement. This also requires the application of an extreme pushing force.